Payton Sandfort has 3 days to make big decision for himself, Hawkeyes

Iowa’s Payton Sandfort was among Golden State Warriors prospects made available for media interviews after their Thursday workouts for the team.

Three of the questions he got were about Caitlin Clark.

Clark, meanwhile, played Friday night for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever in Los Angeles and Saturday night in Las Vegas. The average price on the secondary market for the Friday game in Los Angeles’ 19,000-seat downtown arena was $250 that morning.

Clark was the No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA draft. I have two questions for you fine readers. Don’t cheat.

1. Name anyone who is a strong candidate to be the first pick in next month’s NBA draft.

2. Name a total of five non-Hawkeyes who will play in the Big Ten next season. Or three. One?

It may be hard enough just to remember Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington will be in the conference.

At this time of year, there is always a group of players who have declared for the NBA draft without knowing if there’s a place for them in the league. Almost 200 players filed as early-entry candidates. Some are surefire NBA players, some have no chance.

Sandfort is among those on the border who are trying to get on the lucrative side. He must decide if he’s staying in the draft by the league’s Wednesday 10:59 p.m. (CT) deadline.

The senior-to-be was third-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media after last season, and could rise to first team should he return for a fourth season at Iowa.

The siren song of the NBA, though, is heard by every collegian with any kind of chance to get picked. Given the league’s minimum salary is $1.1 million, you’d listen, too.

The trick is getting one of those 60 draft slots, then earning a standard contract if you’re one of the 30 second-rounders. Keegan and Kris Murray of Iowa were first-rounders and have great things going.

Former Hawkeye standouts Devyn Marble, Jarrod Uthoff, Tyler Cook and Joe Wieskamp all played in the NBA. None were first-rounders. None are in the league today. They averaged 41 games in The League.

Meanwhile, Iowa goes into June not knowing if Sandfort, its leading scorer (16.4 ppg) from last season, will return. The No. 2 guy, guard Tony Perkins (1,175 career points) left for Missouri.

This is men’s basketball in 2024. USC, with new coach Eric Musselman, has nine transfers locked in for next season. Washington, with new coach Danny Sprinkle, has eight.

Michigan and Minnesota have six transfers. Illinois, Indiana and Nebraska have five.

Terrance Williams II flew across the country to transfer from Michigan to USC so he could fly across the country next season to play Big Ten games at Maryland and Rutgers.

Indiana got guard Luke Goode from Illinois. Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian transferred to Nebraska. Ohio State landed second-team All-SEC guard Meechie Johnson from South Carolina, where he played for two seasons after transferring from ... Ohio State.

Iowa has two transfers, guard Drew Thelwell of Morehead State and forward Seydou Traore of Manhattan. Thelwell has been to two NCAA tournaments, and it’s harder to get there from Morehead State than Iowa.

If Sandfort returns, the Hawkeyes — yes, I’m going there — should be good. Center Owen Freeman is on the verge of being a special college player. Josh Dix has shown what he can do. Brock Harding, Pryce Sandfort and Ladji Dembele have potential.

Also, incoming freshmen forwards Cooper Koch and Chris Tadjo could make splashes very quickly.

“We’ve got some big things in store,” Freeman said last week on social media.

But right now, Sandfort’s world is the auditions he’s had for the Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, and the one he’ll have this week with the Utah Jazz.

“These workouts have gone really, really well,” he said. “I personally feel like I belong in the league.”

NIL for Hawkeye men’s basketball players is spit in the Iowa River compared to an NBA rookie contract. Sandfort is doing what any sensible person in his spot would do right now.

If he does come back for another season at Iowa, however, he’ll be on a roster with as much or more stability as any of the Big Ten’s 18.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com